Winter vaccination

Irish spring calving cows are traditionally vaccinated for diseases such as IBR, Lepto and BVD in the tight window between calving and breeding. This practice primarily developed because older vaccines have only 6 months duration of protection, or specific timing recommendations, which must be adhered to for protection during early to mid-pregnancy. But with the availability of more modern vaccines with 12 months proven protection it is time to reconsider vaccination timing. There are many benefits to winter vaccination compared with the challenges of vaccinating cows in Spring.

winter-vaccination

Why vaccinate in spring when you can easily switch to winter vaccination?

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Challenges of Spring Herd Vaccination

FOR THE COW:

> The peri-parturient period and transition period from the pregnant state to the lactating state has always been a metabolic tight rope for dairy cows¹

> Cows go through negative energy balance after calving, which can compromise immune function and decrease their ability to respond to an infectious disease or vaccination²

> Nearly all dairy cows experience some degree of immune suppression during the 2 to 3 weeks before and after calving³

> Many cows suffer peri-parturient disease; research has shown more than 44% are deemed unhealthy in first 60 Days In Milk⁴

> Research has shown that vaccines against viral reproductive pathogens may not be as effective in the postpartum period⁵

FOR THE FARMER:

> Spring is the busiest time of the year on farm

> It is a challenge to fit in all the vaccines after cows are calved and before breeding

> Poor return on investment: vaccinating in early lactation is unlikely to produce an optimal immune response in cows

FOR THE VET:

> Spring is the busiest time of the year in practice

> Limited time to invest in Herd Health Management

Benefits of Winter Vaccination

FOR THE COWS:

> Metabolic stability

> Cows in better condition

> Optimal response to vaccination expected

> Higher level of immunoglobulins pre-calving with possible impact on colostrum quality

FOR THE FARMER:

> Quieter time of the year

> All animals vaccinated at same time; lower risk of missing animals from programme

FOR THE VET:

> Opportunity to engage more with comprehensive dry cow management

> Better veterinary medicine

> Opportunity to rebalance workload & cash flow

Which vaccines can I use as part of a winter vaccination programme?

ANY VACCINE WHICH HAS 12 MONTHS PROVEN DURATION OF IMMUNITY WITH NO SEASONAL TIMING RESTRICTIONS CAN BE USED AS PART OF A WINTER VACCINATION PROGRAMME

RISPOVAL IBR VACCINES PROVIDE 12 MONTHS PROVEN PROTECTION AGAINST IBR CLINICAL DISEASE AND BOVINE HERPES VIRUS 1 ABORTION

> YEARLY IBR VACCINE

> IBR ABORTION PROTECTION

> Flexible and can be used at any time of the year

References

REFERENCES

1. Ryan E (2017) Herd health challenges in springtime. Veterinary Ireland Journal Volume 7 Number 3 p123

2. Corbett R (2013) Preserve and protect transition cow immunity. Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council Newsletter July 1, 2013, vol 8 issue 3

3. Goff JP. Transition Cow Immune Function and Interaction with Metabolic Diseases, in Proceedings, Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference, April 22-23, 2008.

4. Santos JEP, Bisinotto RS, Ribeiro ES, Lima FS, Greco LF, Staples CR and Thatcher WW (2010). Applying nutrition and physiology to improve reproduction in dairy cattle. Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611

5. Walz PH, Montgomery T, Passler T, Riddell KP, Braden TD, Zhang Y, Gallik PK, Zuidhof S (2015). Comparison of reproductive performance of primiparous dairy cattle following revaccination with either modified live or killed multivalent viral vaccines in early lactation. Journal of Dairy Science 98:8753-8763

Rispoval IBR inactivated

The only IBR Programme which simply suits all herds regardless of infection rate.

Winter Vaccination

Reduce labour next spring!
Vaccinate this winter!

Winter Vaccination

Learn benefits of vaccinating in December.

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